
Summer vacation has begun for some families and screen use may already feel like too much. A psychiatrist from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston offers some tips for making sure smartphones and tablets are put to good use and not used to excess. Dr. Laurel Williams, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said no arbitrary number of hours spent online indicates addiction. She suggests parents should focus on their child’s behavior toward their phone. If something seems different or problematic, that might be a warning sign of too much screen time. “It could be that your child is not talking to anyone at home, talking less, always spending time in their room or getting anxious or unhappy about whatever they see or do online,” Williams said in a college news release. Kids tend to get less physical activity when they overuse devices, whether watching TV, playing video games or scrolling through social media. They need to be active, and they also need to pursue some enrichment to make sure they are ready for their studies in the fall. Poorer children who can’t afford to participate in summer enrichment programs often lose knowledge during the break and take longer to catch up at the start of the school year, Williams noted. Some may not have many options other than turning to… read on > read on >